


God Bless You, Bennet Drake.

by ripperstreet



Category: Ripper Street
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-24 09:40:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30070308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ripperstreet/pseuds/ripperstreet
Summary: ***DON'T read if you are yet to see the ending of season 4 - major plot spoiler***This was a request made for someone's birthday who loves Drake and Rose. An alternate ending to season four - perhaps one we would've all preferred 😭I feel the topic of this one shot is very hard to do justice, so I hope you enjoy it 😅
Relationships: Bennet Drake/Rose Erskine
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	God Bless You, Bennet Drake.

“B-Bennet…” Inspector Reid’s voice quivered after his gut wrenching scream as his eyebrows narrowed, forcing himself to look down at his friend’s unconscious state – tears in his blood shot eyes and the blood of his friend upon his hands from his horrific injury. 

“Reid, brother…” Jackson swallowed hard, biting his lip as he shook his head, “I- I don’t think there’s anything we can do.”

“I… I cannot leave him here.” Reid inhaled shakily, now unable to bring his eyes away.

“He is dead, Reid.” Jackson spoke bluntly, also looking down at Drake’s still body as Susan watched on from a distance. 

“He is our friend, Jackson!” Reid snapped, turning his gaze to meet Jackson’s and grabbing his hand to place it over Drake’s chest, “Tell me you cannot feel a heartbeat!”

“R-Reid, he has lost too much blood for us to even think about a heartbeat – let alone a healthy one.” Jackson sighed sadly but allowed Reid to move his hand – almost afraid of how distraught he was.

“H-He…” Reid could barely speak, desperate to think of anything other than losing his friend. 

Jackson scowled slightly when he pushed his hand further up Drake’s chest – his fingertips dipping under his blazer and resting against his waistcoat. He let out a singular quiet sigh, pulling his hand away before pausing for a moment and peering closer to Drake, remaining silent. 

“Well?!” Reid widened his eyes with an authoritative look, his head lifting from Drake up to Jackson and back. 

“Nothing,” Jackson shook his head, trying to act as calmly as possible as he pushed his fingers under Drake’s waistcoat this time, “Just for a moment, I thought I could feel something.” 

“Bennet!” Reid exclaimed as he suddenly felt Drake’s hand weakly grab at his arm. 

“I knew it!” Jackson gasped, parting his lips in shock as he watched the movement. 

“Knew it?!” Reid scoffed, placing his hand over Drake’s as he wriggled uneasily against the ground, “Just a few seconds from now you were declaring our friend deceased!” 

“Inspector Drake, I’m going to need you to be as calm as you can so you are able to preserve the little energy you have left,” Jackson raised his eyebrows, “And, Inspector Reid, I’m going to need you to stop being so goddamn loud if you want any chance of any of us getting out of here alive – I do not doubt that prying eyes are still within earshot.”

Reid inhaled shakily and reached for Jackson with both trembling hands, staring deeply into his eyes as his desperate expression remained on his face. He didn’t even notice Drake’s hand falling to the floor again as a result.

“Save our friend, Jackson.” He spoke in a serious – and not so well hidden scared – tone.

“Reid, I told you-…” Jackson groaned, trying to break himself free from his surprisingly strong grip considering the state he was in. 

“Save him!” Reid raised his worried voice once more – resulting in Jackson gritting his teeth slightly and shaking himself away from his hands as he turned to focus on Drake again. 

“Mr Reid, Jackson will do everything he can,” Susan attempted to sooth Reid, moving forward and placing her hand on his shoulder, “Try to relax and let him do what he has to do.”

Reid swallowed hard and nodded, moving where he was crouched to lean back against the wall. He removed his hat and ran one of his hands through his hair, staring down at the floor as he tried to compose himself. Susan moved by his side and tried to smile, gently rubbing his upper arm while Jackson did everything he could in order to stop – or lessen – the bleeding from Drake’s neck. 

“R-Rose…” Drake’s voice came out in more of an unclear whisper. 

“I’m afraid not, Inspector.” Jackson chuckled out his words, shaking his head as he applied slightly more pressure on Drake’s neck. 

“Wh-Where is Rose?” He couldn’t help but allow his eyes to close again, tilting his head to the side as he winced in pain. 

“Not here, Drake,” Jackson spoke quietly, not wanting to cause further distress to Drake in his current state. He felt Drake tense slightly after he spoke and attempt to raise his head off the ground to look around, “Now, Benito, I’m going to have to ask you to relax a little more – do not attempt to move or lift your head,” He squinted his eyes, thinking for a moment before taking his jacket off and placing it under Drake’s head for him to rest on a little more comfortably, “The amount of blood you’ve lost is bound to have put a hell of a strain on your heart.”

“Not as much of a strain as Rose leaving me would.” Drake managed to speak after a few deep breaths, squeezing his eyes tighter shut to try and block out the stinging from his neck as Jackson continued to gradually stop the bleeding now with the sleeve from his jacket which his head was laid upon. 

“I trust Rose is at your home – unknown to her that this is even taking place.” Susan narrowed her eyebrows, looking over at him while remaining at the side of Reid. 

“I- I must see her… I must see Rose.” Drake spoke uneasily, wriggling against the floor slightly. 

“Right now, I need you to see if you are able to hold that there,” Jackson narrowed his eyes, taking Drake’s hand to replace his holding the material in place against his wound, “The bleeding seems to have mostly stopped, but we need to get that patched up as soon as possible.”

“Jackson?!” Susan gasped after hearing all too familiar voices echoing around the brick arches. 

“A-Alright, Drake, we’re going to have to hurry this up if any of us want to get out of here in one piece,” Jackson swallowed hard, desperately searching his pockets to find something to try and hold the wound together for the time being, “It would appear that our ‘friends’ may be back.”

“Y-You go,” Drake shook his head, trying to sit himself up again as he took a couple of deep breaths, “L-Leave me.”

“Leave you?” Jackson scowled, immediately shaking his head, “Are you serious?! You’ll never make it more than a few steps out of here if we cannot continue to keep the bleeding at ease!”

“It is not me who they are searching for, Jackson,” Drake reached his free hand out to place over Jacksons wrist, “It is you, Mr Reid and Miss Susan who are in danger – the Dove brothers think only of me dead.”

“And when they find you, Bennet?!” Reid raised his voice slightly in worry, leaning closer to Drake with a disapproving expression. 

“Then, I shall be a distraction to them,” Drake shrugged, managing to sit up slightly as he kept the loose blazer sleeve against his open wound, “They will be sure to see me meet my end for a second time while you escape into the night. Besides, I would only hold you up like this.”

“Drake, seriously…” Jackson narrowed his eyebrows, covering his face with his hand. 

“Mr Drake, you must come with us.” Susan frowned, looking over at him. 

“No, Susan, I must get to Rose,” Drake bit his nervous lip for a moment, “If I should fall in the journey I make to see my wife, then so be it. Just as long as she knows I was doing everything I could to be with her.”

“Putting that amount of strain on your body is not going to end well, Drake,” Jackson sighed, looking down at him from his crouched position, “You have lost such an amount of blood that I could not even guarantee you making it to Rose alive.”

“Jackson, if going to be with my wife when I owe her the most sincerest of apologies – regardless of my state of health once I do so – if those are even my last words…” Drake swallowed hard, shakily rubbing his fingertips against his sweaty forehead, “Even if I should not live a second after making sure she knows I love her… This is the best solution for us all; I intend to be by Rose’s side and will head separately from the three of you, resulting in you making your escape, also. If I should make it to my wife, I shall be forever grateful. If I am to be spotted by either of the brothers and take a beating once more, it shall gain the lot of you an advantage.”

“God bless you, Bennet Drake.” Reid narrowed his eyebrows, chewing his inner lip. 

“If love is going to kill me, Edmund, I would happily die,” Drake exhaled shakily. His voice was weak, yet determined, “As long as I am certain that she knows I have never stopped loving her.”

“Get yourself to safety and stay there.” Reid spoke in a stern tone, raising his eyebrows as he stared at Drake’s exhausted, injured body. 

“Reid, Susan, we must go,” Jackson spoke quieter, looking over his shoulder briefly, “Drake, if you insist on dragging your half beating heart back to Rose… I can only wish you luck.”

“Thank you, Jackson.” Drake nodded appreciatively, resting his head back against the cold brick wall and closing his eyes. 

“Thank you, Inspector Drake,” Susan attempted to smile with her quivering lips, “For your selflessness as always.”

Drake’s eyes opened and he tried to smile back, inhaling deeply but staying silent – as if speaking would take up too much of his energy. 

“Goodbye, Bennet.” Reid swallowed hard, trying his best to cover up how much Drake not being with them upset him. 

“Th-This is not goodbye, Mr Reid, it cannot be,” Drake shook his head, taking another few breaths before speaking again, “Go – get yourselves safe. Until our paths cross again.”

“Inspector.” Jackson tipped his hat forward as he looked down at Drake once more. 

“Captain.” Drake nodded, watching them brush their clothes down as all three stood up. 

“Get out of here before it is too late for all of us.” Drake gazed up at them all, wincing slightly as he pressed Jackson’s blazer sleeve slightly harder against his wounded neck. 

After hearing the all too familiar voices yet again echoing around the eerily dark tunnels, Reid, Jackson, and Susan took one last look at Drake – almost as if awaiting for his permission to run. Drake simply nodded and smiled weakly, watching as his three friends smiled appreciatively before turning to run. 

Drake attempted to raise himself further off the ground before slumping back to the floor again with a grunt of pain. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched a shaky fist with his free hand, trying to calm his breathing and yet build himself up to get back on his feet at the same time. The bleeding from his neck had definitely eased – if not stopped – thanks to Jackson’s quick thinking about his blazer, but any sudden movement could all too easily trigger it again. Drake knew he had to be careful, but he only had one thing in mind; getting back to Rose. 

After several long minutes he reached his free arm above his head and tried his best to grip onto the bricks within the wall – forcing himself up onto his feet as he squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his lips together hard. He let out a few heavy breaths as his body leaned against the wall while trying to gather the energy to even put one foot in front of the other. His heavy eyes opened and he swallowed hard, gradually beginning to take small steps back in the direction of where they had originally come from and keeping one hand against the wall for support. Struggling to keep his balance from the dizziness, he paused for a few moments, allowing his head to drop forward as his chest wheezed. 

The voices of the Dove brothers seemed to have faded into the darkness and Drake took this as an opportunity to exit the eery tunnels, ignoring the throbbing pain in his neck. His fingertips still shaking as they dragged against the uneven bricks of the wall, he squinted his eyes at the light as it teased him in the distance of what seemed to be a never ending tunnel. 

Several times on the journey to his house he shared with Rose, Drake could feel his body want to give in and fall to the floor. He was grateful for the time of night and the dark that came along with it – the last thing he wanted was for local residents of Whitechapel to see their head-of-division Inspector in such a state. The faces they would make, the whispers that would spread throughout the streets, he just wanted to be swallowed into one big hole and wake up from this nightmare. The only thing that was keeping him pushing forward was the thought of seeing Rose’s face on the other side of the door. It would be a lie to say that things between the two of them were going well recently – they had, had the odd disagreement here and there that had lead to arguments that left certain situations on bad terms. 

His legs had grown weaker and weaker with each step he took and by the time he reached their door, his chest was heaving up and down painfully. He couldn’t deny his nerves as he knocked on the door and took one step back – hanging Jackson’s blazer around his shoulders as the sleeve of it remained pressed against his neck. His nerves only grew as the seconds between his knock and movement behind the door became longer and longer. He swallowed anxiously as he heard the rummaging behind the door – worried that it may be one of the Dove brothers but not worried enough that it made him stray away from the hope he held inside him of Rose being there. 

The door unlocked and then opened, making Drake glance down at his feet before up into the doorway again as he heard a gasp. 

“Bennet?!” Rose exclaimed, widening her eyes as she looked his weary stance up and down – his bloody collar and Jackson’s blazer still covering the injury upon his neck. He swallowed hard and shook his head, taking a deep breath as he tried to calm his breathing enough to speak. 

“P-Please, Rose…” He panted, “D-Do not make it known that I am here, please.” 

He stumbled forward slightly as his weakened legs gave way and whimpered as Rose immediately moved forward to catch him. She narrowed her eyebrows and carefully helped him walk a few more steps before shutting the door behind them.

“Bennet…” She frowned, trying her best to support his balance as he walked toward the big arm chair, sitting down on it with a heavy sigh, “Wh… What on earth has happened to you? A-Are you alright?!” She spoke frantically, standing directly in front of him.

“Where…” He winced in pain from a sudden twinge in his neck and paused for a moment before speaking again, “Wh-Where is Augustus, Rose?”

“Augustus?” Rose squinted her eyes, “He was here, Bennet…B-But he left, he said he had to see to Nathaniel.”

“Are we alone?” Drake gazed up at her. 

“Y-Yes, Bennet,” Rose nodded quickly before narrowing her eyebrows at his uneasy presentation, “Connor is sleeping. Please, tell me what it is that has happened! Do you need to see the hospital?”

“No, Rose, no…” Drake shook his head, attempting to stand up again but only managing to walk a couple of steps before landing on the sofa with a heavy grunt. Rose immediately rushed to his side and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, resting her face against his shoulder for a moment before pulling her head back when she felt some damp on her cheek.

“Oh, Bennet…” She sniffled, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand and biting her lip nervously when she looked down at the blood, “Please, allow me to call someone to have a look at you. You need to be seen to.”

“N-No one must know I am here, Rose.” Drake spoke between uneasy breaths, swallowing hard as he allowed his body to sink into the familiar comfort of his wife’s arms. Rose pressed her lips together in frustration – desperate to find out what horrific scene Drake had just returned from but afraid it would raise his visible discomfort even more. 

“Say you close your eyes right now and you do not wake, then what, Bennet?!” Rose raised her voice slightly out of worry, keeping her arms securely hugged around him as her palm moved up and down his back soothingly. 

“Then, I will sleep in your embrace at last.” Drake responded in a faint, exhausted tone as his eyes closed once more – his frail body now rested against hers.

“B-Bennet…” Rose whimpered before hiding her face against his shoulder and closing her eyes, holding him tighter. 

“I do not want you getting blood all about you or your lovely dress, my love.” Drake spoke softly, raising one of his hands to uneasily tangle his fingers in the ends of her hair. 

“Hush, I do not care about my dress or myself,” Rose sniffled, moving her face even closer to him as her tears seeped into his bloody collar, “I only care for you, Bennet – I have been so abrupt in my way of speaking to you.”

“Rose, no…” Drake swallowed hard, turning his head to attempt to press his lips to her temple. 

“I know it is only what I deserve, but I do not want to lose you.” She spoke into his shoulder, feeling her body momentarily relax from the feeling of his lips. 

“R-Rose, you’re not…” Drake frowned, shaking his head. 

“D-Do not die on me, Bennet, you cannot!” She pleaded – Drake subtly wincing when he felt her squeezing him tighter, “P-Please tell me you will not die, Bennet…”

“C-Come now, Rose, I think we both owe it to each other to have this moment.” Drake sighed quietly, also allowing his eyes to close as his body trembled in physical pain from his injuries. 

“B-Bennet… I should have never driven you to this.” Rose inhaled shakily. 

“You did no such thing, Rose,” Drake shook his head, trying to push his weak hand further into her hair, “I should have listened and not thought you a madwoman when you told me about Miss Susan – I should have listened a-and…”

“Hush, Bennet,” Rose’s soothing hand rubbed up and down his shoulder blades, “Do not blame yourself for all that I have brought upon you – the once happy Bennet Drake.”

“You have not brought upon me anything of the sort, my love. It was I who treat you like a bleedin’ lunatic.” Drake sighed in frustration, trying to push passed the pain all over his body as he lifted his hand completely to place against the back of her head, “Wh-What I am trying to say, Rose, is that we have not been the kindest toward one another as of late.”

“The words that were thrown about the room, the frustrations between either of us… I never thought it would have come to this.” Rose whimpered, pulling one of her hands away when she felt it damp from the blood upon his clothes, “It is killing me also to see you like this, Bennet… You, of all people, are the last person on earth who deserves this.”

“Some would say otherwise.” Drake mumbled. Rose frowned and moved her hand to the item of clothing Drake had around his shoulders and pressed against his neck. She studied it for a few moments and squinted her eyes as she realised Drake still had his own blazer on, only taking seconds to work out who it belonged to. 

“This is Jackson’s blazer, is it not?” She asked. 

“I-It is,” Drake nodded, “I am flattered above all that you know I would not choose clothing in such a hideous shade of blue.”

“So the Captain was with you, too?” She tilted her head. 

“He was,” Drake swallowed hard, “And Miss Susan, and Mr Reid.”

“What happened, Bennet?” Rose pouted her lips. 

“Th-The Dove brothers…” Drake inhaled uneasily, “They are not what they seem, Rose.”

“H-How so?” Rose blinked hard. 

“The things they have done, the things they are doing…” Drake’s eyes closed for a brief moment as he dared himself to think back to what had happened earlier, “God forbid, the things they’re going to do.”

“The Dove brothers did this to you?!” Rose gasped, glancing at his neck for a moment. 

“Nathaniel, I believe – from my recollection,” Drake nodded, “B-But I do not doubt that Augustus was using him as his puppet – and I do not think that it is the first time, nor the last, that he has done so.” 

“And I let that man into my home?!” Rose raised her voice, covering her face with one of her hands before firing several frantic questions, “I- I let him hold Connor… Where is Susan? Where is Mr Reid? How could I have been so foolish to bring you to this?!”

“R-Rose, no, you must understand…” Drake spoke uneasily, leaning forward and pressing their foreheads together, taking a shaky breath as his body grew weaker. 

“Understand what, Bennet?” Rose opened her eyes. 

“It was not you who brought me to this,” Drake’s eyes also slowly opened, gazing into hers, “Please, my love, do not blame yourself. To tell the truth, it is you that is the reason of why I live and would not allow myself to die – not without you by my side, anyway.”

“O-Oh, Bennet…” Rose’s eyes teared once more as his closed, leaning forward to press her lips to his. She exhaled quietly before freezing completely – his lips were growing cold and he made no response to her kiss. She pulled back with wide eyes and felt all the colour drain from her as his body became limp. She quickly moved to kneel on the floor and laid his body out flat, shaking in fear as her eyes frantically darted up and down his unresponsive body, “No! Yo…You cannot slip away from me, Bennet…” She sobbed, touching a trembling hand to his cheek as she rested her head against his chest. 

“Inspector Drake?!” A voice called as the door flung open, making Rose’s head lift and desperately look for help in the direction of the voice. 

“Bennet?!” Reid gasped as he spotted Drake laid upon the sofa – Rose silent in shock by his side. 

“Dear Rose, he made it to you…” Susan covered her mouth with her fingertips and hurried over to her and Drake along with Reid and Jackson. Rose – still too startled to speak – turned to Susan as she knelt by the side of her and immediately fell into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably into her chest. 

“Alright, Inspector, I’m going to have to ask you to wake up for me.” Jackson narrowed his eyebrows, crouching at his side as he looked over him. 

“I- I cannot believe he has made it here,” Reid raised his eyebrows, “Without other injury, at least.”

“That’s the power of love, Reid,” Jackson shrugged, reaching for a throw that was over the back of the sofa and replacing his bloody blazer sleeve with it, “The never ending desire to be near that person and not letting anything get in your way.”

“Right.” Reid nodded just once, clearing his throat as he watched over them both, trying his best to make it appear as if his own eyes were not welling also. 

“Rose, he was so determined to see you…” Susan spoke softly as she held Rose’s quivering body against hers, trying her best to comfort her as her hand stroked her hair. 

“Wh… What have I done to him?” Rose sniffled, “Look what I’ve done to him!” 

“Thank god for my blazer, huh, Drake?” Jackson spoke as he dropped his blazer to the floor, wiping the blood from his hands onto his trousers before placing one of his hands over his chest.

“S-Save him, Jackson… P-Please save him.” Rose spoke into Susan’s shoulder with her back still turned to Drake. 

“Save him?” Jackson arched a brow, “I think you’ve already done that, Rose.”

“Wh-What?” Rose responded before feeling her breath hitch in her throat when she felt a familiar hand place on her shoulder. She immediately turned around and took it in her hand, looking at Drake with his open, heavy eyes, “H-He’s not dead?”

“He is not, Rose.” Jackson shook his head with a slight smile, focusing on the wound of Drake’s neck as he continued to try and stitch it up as carefully as possible.

“B-But he…” Rose blinked hard in confusion, lacing Drake’s fingers with her own.

“He is exhausted, Rose. The amount of pain that he has felt and still feels with an injury such as this and the journey he made to be with you is more than enough to make him collapse of exhaustion.” Jackson responded, keeping his eyes on his sturdy fingers. 

“R-Rose, my love…” Drake spoke weakly, his voice wheezing. 

“I-I’m here, Bennet.” Rose swallowed hard, moving closer to him. 

“H-Hold my hand.” Drake breathed out his words. 

“I am, Bennet,” Rose brought his hand to her lips and gently kissed the back of it, “Don’t you worry, I will never let go.” 

“Neither will he, it seems,” Jackson glanced up at her before back to Drake again, wiping away the blood from the stitches, “You saved him, Rose.”

“M-Me? You have given him your blazer and medical care, not me,” Rose shook her head, “If anything, I caused it.”

“It is true that we could not leave our friend like this – especially knowing the chance of survival from him going from one destination to the other with his injuries.” Jackson nodded. 

“Then it is you that has saved his life.” Rose looked over at him. 

“Rose, I could give him all the medical care in the world, but there is nothing that can heal someone better than the love from the person who you know you could never live without.” Jackson stood up, brushing his knees from where he had been knelt on the floor. 

“Is this true, Bennet?” Rose asked shakily, still a little dazed from the current situation and rubbing her thumb back and forth over his hand.

“O-Of course, my love.” Drake spoke with his eyes closed, trying to smile. 

“The determination on his face to get back to you was like nothing I have ever seen before.” Reid raised his eyebrows, pushing his hands into his coat pockets as he stood next to Jackson. 

“If it wasn’t for the goal of reaching you, Rose, I dare not think how this evening may have ended. You gave him a reason to live – a reason to want to live.” Susan smiled softly, also standing up next to Jackson and Reid. 

“I- I…” Rose didn’t know what to say, looking between each of her friends in the room. 

“He should be alright, though it is probably best we stay here for a little while, however – just in case he does need any other medical attention.” Jackson removed his hat, placing it on the coffee table. 

“That is fine. Can I get you anything?” Rose asked, looking up at him. 

“You stay there, Rose, with Inspector Drake.” Jackson shook his head. 

“And yourselves?” She squeezed Drake’s hand. 

“Can we go see our boy, Rose?” Jackson narrowed his eyebrows. 

“O-Of course… He is in the bedroom, go right in.” Rose nodded, swallowing hard as she gestured in the direction of her and Drake’s room. 

“Thank you.” Susan smiled, turning in the direction of which Rose’s free hand was pointing. 

“I shall fetch tea.” Reid spoke softly, walking toward the kettle and gathering some teapots for them all. 

“What, to make up for all the times you have given others orders to do so for yourself, Reid?” Jackson sniggered from the other room; Reid pretended he didn’t hear – though in his head he wasted no time in making the American the second casualty of the night. 

“Bennet, I had no idea that love alone was enough to keep the heart beating,” She now began to smile as she spoke, turning her attention back to Drake completely, “I really thought I had lost you tonight.” 

“It is above all the most pure remedy to heal a broken man.” Drake managed to speak, feeling his body relax a little more as Rose lightly brushed her lips against his forehead. 

“You may have my word right now, Bennet, with our friends as our witness – there will not be a day that goes by where I do not show my love to you.” Rose spoke in a gentle tone, kissing his forehead once more. 

Drake wriggled slightly on the sofa to turn his head so he was able to look Rose in the eye with a heart-warming smile as he spoke;

“Then I shall live forever.”


End file.
